GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH

Transcription

1 GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH 140 East 56 th Street, Tacoma, WA Ph: GOOD SHEPHERD NEWS Reformation October 2016 October 31, 2017, will mark the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation. That date, in 1517, is when a young monk and university professor of the Bible by the name of Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther sought a scholarly debate about the abuses in the sale of indulgences. Luther was guided by the truth of Scripture: that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone. And this truth was revealed in God s Word alone. One cannot buy forgiveness. It is a free gift of God, based on the merits of Jesus sacrificial death on Calvary s cross and His glorious resurrection. Luther did not get his debate. What he got was a Reformation: a Reformation that echoes into all corners of the world today. We thank God for unlocking the truth of Scripture to Martin Luther, for his insight that freed a world captive to works righteousness, and for his boldness to proclaim that message. May we continue always to proclaim with boldness that Scriptural truth. The truth that what makes one righteous before God is not one s own virtue, but the righteousness of God. God gives this salvation freely as a gift. As we draw nearer to this momentous anniversary, may we continue to be in God s Word, and be faithful to our God. Blessings, Pastor Dan 1

2 The Open Door By Michael J. Dunn Congregation President EVANGELISM AND FELLOWSHIP In my last two messages, I have acknowledged the problem facing our Congregation s survival, that we need help in the Church administration in order to support growth, and that such involvement contributes to fellowship. That makes sense as far as it goes, but further reflection convinces me that there is a more direct connection between our growth and fellowship. Think of it this way: If evangelism is what attracts someone to the church, fellowship is what will keep him here. (This is what the Congregation can do; the Pastor s worship leadership is the other ingredient.) How well do we embrace newcomers into fellowship? In what I am about to say next, I mean no personal criticism of anyone but it is bound to be an uncomfortable discussion, because self-recognition is difficult. I will bring to mind my own experience. I came to Good Shepherd in 2011 as a refugee from a doctrinal schism in another church, along with some fellow refugees. We refugees knew each other and also Pastor Brad Varvil, so fellowship was not an immediate problem, as we were relatively selfsufficient, meeting also the Malone family. That year, I was to become engrossed in the executorship of my late brother s estate, he passing away untimely. During that time I went through several other difficulties, but God protected me, so I was content to be solitary within the church, with much on my mind. Being inducted into the Board of Elders brought me into contact with members of the regular Congregation, really for the first time. It has been a good experience. But now that my life has become more social within the church, I think upon how it has progressed. At the beginning, no one really sought me out to welcome me or visit me. But now, I have heard that people remark they did not know me until I ran for office. I don t take that badly, but I wonder about it. I was a new member. How would some other new member react to that indifference? Would it encourage him to remain with us? And it is not only with regard to new members. Unfortunately, it seems in our Fellowship events there is a characteristic and spontaneous separation into groups of long acquaintance. Some might call them cliques. In my position as President, I have heard complaints about how difficult it is to talk to this or that person. I marvel at these complaints. I will confess outright that I am an introvert and that making acquaintance is not always easy for me, though I try to be open and pleasant. How hard could it be to talk to someone? But, indeed, it is not always a pleasant scene, and I have been told that people tend to avoid involvement in church business, because they are reluctant to brave friction with others. And I cannot blame them. How does this come to be? We are supposed to be a family of God s children. Just as in any family, there may be differences of opinion, but that does not preclude familial affection. I had a remarkable discussion recently with a retired pastor, who once had a congregation starting with only 7 members, and the church ultimately grew to over 200 members. He gave me his heart and told me that he knew that he could not proceed top down to bring God s Word from the church to the families. It was too unwieldy. So he concluded that he must bring God s Word from the families to the church, and that is what he did: realizing the Gospel lessons by personal reinforcement of the presence of God in his congregation s families. And as his congregation members related to each other in this way, the foundation of the church was built. And newcomers were easily and gratefully brought into this fellowship and became integral to the church. It seems we have been lacking among ourselves. I suggest that in the next opportunity for church fellowship we seek out someone we have not spoken with before, introduce each other, learn family origins or occupations, and make each of us less of a stranger to the other. I will be the first to admit that this may not come easily, either because of reticence or shyness. This is a form of reconciliation, and it is good for us. Certainly, this is how we should behave when we know a stranger is newly among us. But it may be that we have strangers among us who have been with us for many years. Let us therefore practice our fellowship in a new spirit. As always, I am available outside of services, in the Narthex, down in the Fellowship Hall, by telephone (home ), and by (michaeljdunn@msn.com). Every question deserves an answer. 2

3 Do You Know Who Your Elder Is? Zone Elder Names 1 Norm Gerken ( ) Alber Gottgetieu 2 Joe Morton ( ) Grochowicz - Popplewell 3 Wayne Boudreau ( ) Preszler - Zmuda Members can contact any elder for any reason at any time. Financial Update Summer is officially over. We continue to hold on to a small budget surplus. Our congregation is paying its bills (on time). Fall brings with it new challenges. The bills will increase with school back in session, shorter days, and cooler temperatures. Your offerings continue to keep our doors open. Thank you for your response to the church s need. Praise be to God! Lunch Bunch Please join us Thursday, October 13 th at 11:30 am for our Pot Blessings Lunch. Bring a dish to share and join us for the fun! Men s Breakfast / Bible Study Saturday, October 15 th 8 am Join us for a delicious breakfast, wonderful fellowship, and in-depth Bible Study. We are going through the series Stuff They Didn t Teach Me in Sunday School. We will be discussing the chapter Being Bigger and Richer Isn t Always Better (1 Kings 13-17). Scripture Readers Workshop A Scripture Readers Workshop will be held on Saturday, October 8, from 9:30 am to 2 pm. It will be held at St. Luke s Lutheran Church in Federal Way. This workshop is for everyone who reads Scripture publically. It will be an interactive workshop designed to help improve one s ability to communicate God s Word orally. Good Shepherd will pay the workshop fee for all members who attend. Please sign up on the bulletin board if you plan to attend. 3

4 GROW Auction Saturday, October 15 at 5:00 pm is the date for this year s Italian themed GROW Auction. Tickets are on sale for $15 per person. For every ticket a member purchases, a ticket will be reserved for a non-member guest (with advanced notice for meal count). Dinner includes a 3-meat lasagna, bread, veggies, salad, and dessert. Do you have an item to donate towards the silent or oral auction? Please let Betty Hennig or Bonnie Huset know. What can be donated? Practically anything newpurchased or handmade, gift certificates / cards, get-a ways to places, home cooked meals, service ideas, etc. The GROW Auction supports the Endowment Fund which is a scholarship program for our congregational families who wish to send their children to Christian schools. This fund is for extra scholarship dollars to help support the endeavor of these families. Thank you for supporting and donating to this program. Thank you also to THRIVENT FINANCIAL for the $250 Community Impact Card to help with expenses for this event. See article below for information regarding THRIVENT S Action Program and learn the benefits to Thrivent Members. Important Information for Thrivent Members As a member of Thrivent, you have an opportunity to apply for a $250 Community Impact Card that you can use to purchase project supplies and create promotional materials for a project in the church or community. Think about an unmet need in your community or church and how you could help. Apply to lead your volunteer team in a one-time fundraiser, service activity, or educational event that can be completed within 90 days. Once your project is approved, you ll receive a Thrivent Action Kit. All Thrivent members are eligible to lead a Thrivent Action Team. However, the number of teams each member can lead per year depends on his or her membership type. Benefit members are eligible to lead TWO per calendar year. Projects applied for and used this year include the Preschool s plant sale (to help purchase the plants) and for our Grow Auction (to help purchase the ingredients for the dinner and decorations). Plus, with Thrivent Choice, you can recommend where some of Thrivent Financial s charitable outreach funds go. Since 2010, members have used this program to direct $300 million to churches and nonprofits nationwide. You can direct your Choice Dollars to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tacoma, WA, The Good Shepherd s Little Lambs Preschool, Tacoma, WA, Concordia Lutheran School, Tacoma, WA, or Mount Rainier Lutheran High School, Tacoma, WA. For more information, or to apply, go to the Thrivent Website: Preschool and Congregational Families Sunday, October 9 th at 3 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Please join us for some fun with fellowship! 4

5 Women in Mission / Women s Ministry LWML Sunday, October 2 Tuesdays: Bible Study (9:15 am) Quilting (10 am) Fall Greetings to all Good Shepherd Ladies, Lutheran women what did you learn about being a Lutheran Woman at the Retreat? Have you read the September issue of the Lutheran Witness? Some wonderful articles are in it. Join with Lutheran sisters (and brothers) as we celebrate LWML Sunday October 2 and plan to attend the Rainier Zone Fall Rally at Beautiful Savior on October 8. Tuesday Bible Study is looking at Ezra and Nehemiah. God s wonderful care and His control of all things for our good. LWML Sunday, theme: Come and See, is a joyful time of celebration. Don t forget your Mites on that Sunday! Mites Sunday, October 2 Rainier Zone Fall Rally, October 8 Quilts for LWR are also available for purchase for $40 minimum. All money goes to LWR. Wanted: Someone to take packed quilts to Seattle on November 4 or 5. Please let me know if you are willing to do this, Jane Oberg Have you noticed the display case at the bottom of the stairs? Take a look! Don t forget to get your GROW Auction Tickets! This is always a wonderful event. Serving the Lord, with Gladness! Jane Oberg Reading and Studying the Lutheran Confessions Our Nisqually Circuit (and the adjacent Rainier Circuit) has begun a study group aimed at reading and exploring the Lutheran Confessions as contained in the Book of Concord. We are meeting on the first and third Thursday of each month (6 th and 20 th for October). We meet in the chapel in the annex of Good Shepherd from 7-8:30 pm. Each session will last about 90 minutes. We will read sections of the Confessions and talk about them. What an excellent way to prepare for the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation which is only 13 months away. 5

6 ol. Preschool News Sharing Christ, Feeding Lambs Thank you for all the prayer support for our preschool students, families, staff, and board. We sincerely appreciate your continued prayers and encouragement. There are also a few tangible ways the preschool can be supported. We are getting ready to have our 2017 calendar with your scenic photographs available for sale beginning in November. Our annual cookie sale is also coming in November. Word of mouth for advertising and bringing in more students is also a great gift to the preschool. Sunday, October 9, beginning at 3:00 pm our preschool will be hosting its annual Sunday Sundaes! Everyone is invited to attend this fun social event. The preschool families as well as our church families are asked to come and join together in a time of fellowship and enjoy some ice cream in the process. The preschool will provide the ice cream and toppings. Please come for this hour of getting to know one another and sharing Christ in a comfortable atmosphere. Our preschool staff this year is Bonnie Huset as Director and M/W/F teacher, Melika Mindemann is our T/Th teacher, Caron Long is the assistant for M/W/F, and Tammy Boudreau is our T/Th assistant. We have room in both our classes and have a scholarship program in place to assist families who need it. We are about "Sharing Christ, Feeding Lambs" at our preschool and want that to be our main focus for the children we serve. Thank you for the many blessings you give to us! Serving our Savior, Bonnie Jean Huset Director / Teacher Care Net Baby Shower ends Oct. 2 Items are needed for the Puyallup and Tacoma Care Net Pregnancy & Family Services of Puget Sound centers. Needs for the Puyallup Center: Diaper Bag, Bassinet, 2 Cribs, Pajamas for Boys and Girls (1-36 months), Onesies for Boys & Girls (0-24 months), Diapers (NB, 5, 6), Baby Formula, Baby Cereal, 12 Cloth Diapers, Car Seat, Stroller, 2 Pack n Plays. Needs for the Tacoma Center: Bassinet, 2 Cribs & Mattresses, 2 Baby Gates, Bus Passes, Mid-size Stroller, Pack n Play with Bassinet, Double Stroller, Infant Bounce Seat for a Girl. 6

7 GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH 140 East 56 th Street Tacoma WA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Phone: Website: Reaching the Lost for Christ Oktoberfest--Sunday, October 30 th at 12 pm All food is provided. 7